A cool summer treat

Yesterday we talked about writing your philosophy of life.
Today we’re going to take a break for a cool potato salad recipe.
In these hot summer evenings, none of us wants to heat the kitchen.
So here’s my favorite potato salad recipe that will keep you cool.
Jerry’s Potato Salad
(enough for two meals for 4 diners)
3 lbs small red potatoes
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp sweet pickle relish
2 tbsp chopped pimento
1 tsp dill
4 hard-boiled eggs
2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp pepper
Cube potatoes, cover with water and 1 tbsp salt in microwave pot.
Cover pot and cook at full power 6 minutes. Test for tenderness.
If you can pierce with fork, they’re done. If not, cook longer.
Whisk mayo, vinegar, mustard, relish, pepper and rest of salt.
Drain potatoes and cool in ice water bath. Chop eggs.
When cool, drain potatoes and combine all ingredients.
For a one-dish meal, add cooked, chopped chicken.
Serve with iced tea and enjoy.
Next week we’ll talk about making commitments.
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What’s your philosophy of life?

Yesterday we talked about planning your legacy.
Today we’re going to talk about your life’s philosophy.
Philosophy? I don’t have one, you might say.
Sure you do. It’s based on what people and life have taught you.
What if you knew you could do anything without fear of failure?
What if you could tackle any project, knowing you would succeed?
That would be fantastic, wouldn’t it?
Not me, you say. That couldn't happen to someone like me.
Why not? I challenge you. Think big. Dare yourself.
Those who dare to be great don’t just luck into it.
What is it that they do that others fail to do?
Eric Foreman — yes, the fictional Eric Foreman — said:
"Life is a train. You can start running when you see it coming.
"Or you can pull up a chair, open a drink and wait for it to hit you."
After a Grand Canyon visit, my 23-word philosophy became:
"We can stand timidly at the rim or grab a parachute and plunge in.
"I’d rather take my chances and plunge right in"
It’s time to write your own personal philosophy. I dare you.
It can be shorter than 23 words. Or it can be 100 pages long.
Send me what you write. Keep it short and we'll blog it.
Tomorrow, we’ll take a break for a cool summer recipe.
For more on writing your philosophy of life, click here.

A mother’s lasting legacy

Yesterday we talked about holding unpopular views.
Today we’re going to talk about leaving your own legacy.
When I was a child, my mother went through a deep depression.
She tried to kill herself. She spent months in a private sanitarium.
After extensive therapy, she regained her faith in God.
She became active in her church and supported its mission work.
She planned a dangerous trip into the South American jungle.
She and a missionary pilot were to take supplies to the natives.
When she did not return as planned, our government looked for her.
She was found — safe and sound — on an island off the coast.
She and her pilot were visiting his missionary relatives.
She was modest about her adventures and rarely talked about them.
After her death, we arranged a memorial service at her church.
The chapel was filled. Her friends came to honor her.
We invited them to share their memories of our mother.
We were amazed by their stories of our mother’s kindness.
Our mother had made a beneficial impact on many people.
That was her legacy to her friends and to her children.
Have you thought about the legacy you want to leave the world?
It can be as big as you can dream. You can make a difference.
Consider what you want to leave your children and your community.
Tomorrow we’ll talk about what to do if you know you’ll succeed.
For more about living a successful life, click here.

A writer’s greatest work finally recognized

Yesterday we talked about holding unpopular views.
Today we’re going to talk about the fickleness of fame.
Have you ever dreamed of being famous? Of course. We all have.
But fame is fleeting. Real achievement stands the test of time.
Herman Melville’s rise and fall is an example to consider.
As a child, his parents considered him backward and somewhat slow.
With his father’s business collapsing, he went to sea as a cabin boy.
Based in his adventures, his early novels brought him fame.
He wrote of living with cannibals in the South Pacific.
He wrote of taking part in a mutiny, being jailed and escaping.
Despite his fame, the critics panned his greatest work, Moby Dick.
He could not find an American publisher and published in England.
Sales of the book was disappointing, earning him less than $600.
His finished his last novel, Billy Budd, in 1891, months before he died.
He did not live to see it published in 1924, 33 years later.
Nor did he live to see it and Moby Dick hailed as master works.
Here’s my thought for you about fame: Do not pursue it.
Fame is a fickle mistress. Herman Melville is not its only victim.
Keep your feet planted on the ground and do what you do best.
Make your contribution. Earn your living. Forget fame.
If it comes, it will come. But it may not last long.
Tomorrow we will talk about the legacy you want to leave.
For more on your direction and purpose in life, click here.

A controversial figure changed our thinking

Charles Darwin did not come by his discoveries easily.
Son and grandson of physicians, he studied medicine and hated it.
He studied for the ministry at Cambridge but lost interest in it.
His family must have wondered what was to become of him.
Have you had your own doubts about your direction in life?
Darwin fell under the influence of a man who changed his direction.
Botany professor John Henslow encouraged him to go to sea.
Darwin’s five-year voyage on the HMS Beagle opened his eyes.
He developed his theories of evolution and the origin of species.
Darwin was a mild-mannered man. He sought no controversy.
But his published theories created a storm in Victorian England.
He was denounced by the clergy as disputing the story of Genesis.
His detractors accused him of atheism and much worse.
Yet Darwin held to his own personal faith in his God.
At age 73, on he lay dying, he told his wife he did not fear death.
Darwin has been the subject of controversy for almost 150 years.
Have you held unpopular views? Have others argued with you?
Have some of them laughed at you or ridiculed you?
Hold to your beliefs if you are convinced you are right.
Pursue your own ideas no matter what others may say.
Tomorrow we’ll talk about the fate of a great writer.
For more on your life’s direction, click here.